News & Public Affairs

The U.S. Congress reached an agreement at the end of last year to temporarily avoid what was being called the fiscal cliff of automatic spending cuts and tax increases. But they just put aside the stand-off until the end of this month. The Natural Resources Defense Council is warning that if the deep cuts go through it could negatively affect clean air and water. WMNFâs SeÃ¡n Kinane spoke with Scott Slesinger, director for the Natural Resources Defense Council.

The City of Tampa is planting trees today in honor of Florida Arbor Day. Students and city employees planted three American Liberty Elm trees at MacFarlane Park on North MacDill Avenue Friday morning.

âWell, I think the most important thing is to recognize that the city of Tampa has been Tree City recipient for over thirty years â I think 35 years or close to it â which means we have a very aggressive and positive tree-planting program and tree care program in the city.â

The Environmental Protection Agencyâs new numeric limits on nutrient levels in Florida waterways overrule the weaker, narrative-based limits used by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.The EPA says it will retract its rules if the Florida DEP creates its own standards. At a public information session in downtown Tampa Thursday, business owners want that to happen.

Some business people were unhappy with the EPAâs new role in regulating nutrient levels in Florida waterways...

The Environmental Protection Agency set new water quality standards in November that placed numeric limits on nutrient levels in Florida waterways. Environmentalists celebrated it as a win, but now the agency is considering yielding its rules to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection whose standards would not be as strict. 150 people from environmental groups across the state are gathering in downtown Tampa Thursday during a public information session to demand the EPA not let t...

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing that the wood stork be upgraded from its status as an endangered species to just threatened. Dan Ashe, director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announced plans to reclassify the species during a conference call this morning.

âWood storks in the Southeastern U.S. no longer face imminent danger of extinction and thatâs thanks to decades of conservation work across the region.â

St. Petersburg officials and environmentalists celebrated the opening of the cityâs first commercial building that will make more energy than it uses today. The net zero energy office on Central Avenue near downtown is now home to the Sierra Clubâs Florida headquarters. Bob Harrington, the residential director of sales for the company that provided some of the buildingâs technology, Bosch, said the use of photovoltaic solar panels could actually earn money.

University of South Florida researchers have studied one of the most commonly known invasive species in the world, house sparrows. They found behavioral and stress hormone patterns that could help control and prevent house sparrows and other invasive species from future invasions.

The study was published in the biological research journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Andrea Liebl, a PhD candidate at USF, says in many cases invasive species are controlled after theyâre already in...

Natural habitats in Florida are being threatened by development and road expansion. A group of conservationists are trying to establish a tract of protected land from the Everglades through Central Florida and north to Georgia to protect natural resources and wildlife. At an event at Stetson University College of Law today, Carlton Ward Junior explained what the Florida Wildlife Corridor could mean for Floridians.

The grandson of a rancher, Carlton Ward Jr. organized a 1,000 mile expedit...

This month, French researchers said genetically modified corn may have caused tumors in laboratory rats. People concerned about genetically modified foods are launching a campaign for accurate labeling. At an event hosted by Food and Water Watch at a health food store in Tampa Thursday night, 40 people learned how they can persuade elected officials to introduce a law that requires labels on genetically engineered foods.

Kara Kaufman is the Tampa field director for the Let Me Decide Camp...

On a recent dive near Key Largo, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation researchers witnessed a rare species of coral in the process of reproduction. This discovery marked the first documented sighting of male and female pillar coral spawning in the state of Florida.

Pillar coral are listed as threatened within the state of Florida. Kate Lunz, Associate Research Scientist for the Corals Program at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute says this finding confirms the presence of m...